


Ink

by SteeleHoltingOn



Series: Ice and Fire [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark's Daughter, F/M, M/M, Multi, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2018-03-10 12:50:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3290945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteeleHoltingOn/pseuds/SteeleHoltingOn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve has a pair of names inked on his skin. </p><p>Prompt: Ashe wanted to know more about Steve's tattoos.<br/>2/19/18 VronaQueen wanted Chapter 3.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. James Buchanan Barnes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [asimplewalk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/asimplewalk/gifts), [vronaqueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vronaqueen/gifts).



> Takes place between chapters 4 and 5, and later around chapter 33 of Ice and Fire, but you don't have to know that before reading this story. 
> 
> 2/19/18 Chapter 3 takes place after 90 Days to a Whole New World, but you still don't have to know that before reading this story.

The first time Steve Rogers saw a dame with a tattoo on her wrist, he’d been startled--and not that tattoos bothered him, seeing they had always been popular in the army.  Even the Howling Commandos had been harassing him (not too long ago, in his mind) about coming up with something they could all share. But the flowers and lace wrapped around the woman’s forearm stunned him with its beauty.  

The artist in him studied the lines and shading with appreciation.  The owner of the tattoo was happy to share her story, of how she turned hated childhood scarring from a dog bite into something she loved seeing everyday--so much that her artist was working up a second piece to wrap around the bicep of her other, perfectly unmarked arm.  

After that, he noticed ink everywhere. A few--just like in the army--were regrettably awful, and Steve was hard-pressed not to flinch.  Most of the tattoos held symbols and rich memories for the owner.  A few, like the flowers on the woman’s arm, were nothing less than works of art.  

He wouldn’t dare do a Howling Commandos tattoo now.  The idea of being the lone survivor was--too much.  He still couldn’t bring himself to look at the old sketches from the boxes Ms. Potts had sent to him from storage.  He could see in his mind Dum Dum and Gabe arguing over the symbols he’d drawn, and Bucky leaning over to give his opinion with the inevitable smart-ass remark.  

As always, the mere thought of Bucky brought a lump to his throat.  At least now he could breathe through it, which is more than he could do four months ago.  Four months ago, every waking moment was hell, like someone had dug his heart out with a dull spoon.

He knew exactly who was responsible for giving him a reason to live again.  He wondered what sort of fairy ring he’d stumbled across to bring him here, to fall head-over-heels for the granddaughter of his friend.  

It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that Darcy’s lineage included Howard Stark.  There was something in way they talked and gestured that had been passed down through the generations.  Not only that, Steve had been in Howard’s workspace so often that Darcy’s lab seemed familiar in its layout.  They even kept their coffee in exactly the same spot on their worktable.

The fact that he’d drawn her twice before meeting her seemed an impossible coincidence. 

Only Bucky had ever captured his attention like she had.  From that first moment in the garage, they’d clicked.  The place in his heart that he’d previously held only for James Barnes stepped aside to make room for Darcy Lewis. They had always known there would be one more.  He couldn’t explain it; neither could Bucky, but they had talked about it dozens of times over the years.  The first drawing he’d made that one fateful day only solidified their confidence.  

She was the only reason he felt as if he belonged in this century, and there was no doubt in his mind that Bucky would have fallen for her just as fast and hard.  Which is why he found himself standing in Nick Fury’s office, asking for a favor.  

“You want the name of a tattoo artist?” Nick propped his feet up on his desk, crossing his arms over his chest.  

“A good one. Discreet.”  

“You do realize you’re still Captain America.”

“I understand that this is my business, and yet, I’m asking for someone who can keep their mouth shut.”

Nick pointed a finger at him. “Don’t do any naked girls, Rogers.”

“I can draw those myself.”

That make Fury chuckle in spite of himself.  He jotted down a name and number on a small, colorful square of paper and handed it over. “He’s in Brooklyn.  Did one for me a few years back.”

“You?”

Nick shrugged.  “We all have our reasons.  Either to remember or forget, take your pick.  Seems to me you’d have a lot of reasons for both.”

With a characteristic dip of his head, Steve acknowledged the truth in that.  “Thank you.”

“Going to tell me about your girlfriend?”

“Is there anyone in Stark Tower you don’t have a dossier on?” Steve wasn’t sure what Nick knew about Darcy, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to discuss her parentage.  

“Probably not,” Fury acknowledged.

“Then we don’t need to have that conversation,” Steve retorted.  

“Peggy Carter called me last week.”  

Steve slanted a curious look at Nick for the sudden change in topics, wondering what prompted it.  

“Not many people intimidate me,” the director continued.

Thw fond memory of Peggy’s fist in an idiot’s face made Steve smile. “You know, she emptied a whole barrel of bullets at me once when she was irritated.”

“I heard you deserved it.”  

“Depends on which side of the shield you were standing on.”

“Touche’.  Need anything else, Rogers?”

“No, sir.”

“Get out of my office.  And go visit Ms. Carter before she kicks my ass.”

“Yes, sir.”

Two days later, Steve had an appointment with a guy named Crypt at a tattoo parlour in Brooklyn.  With every inch of wall space covered in symbols, artwork and photographs, it felt a little like home, and he relaxed as soon as he stepped inside.  

"Grant Barnes.  I have appointment at four," he told the young man at the front desk.

"Yes, sir." A hand waved toward the hallway.  "Crypt is all the way at the end on the left. Feel free to take a look at our walls if you need any ideas."  

"Thanks. I think I'm good."  

Crypt, as it turned out, looked a lot like Dum Dum, if he was covered from neck to ankle in ink and happily wore a tank top to show it all off.  His office was neat as a pin, though covered in more art.

"You Barnes?"he asked, in a pure Brooklyn accent that sounded like home.

"I am."

"Good. I got a call from buddy of mine about you.  Wears a patch.  Told me not to fuck this one up."

Steve chuckled a little.  "Sounds like we know the same guy."  

"Come on in."  Crypt motioned Steve into the work chair. "Know what we're doing today and where?"

He dug into his back pocket before he sat down and handed over small piece of paper. "This." He reached behind his head to pull his shirt off, leaving his dogtags hanging.

Crypt blinked.  "Jesus fuck, you're ripped, dude."  

"Thanks?"

"Yeah, okay.  That wasn't professional.  You a bodybuilder?" Crypt asked in passing as he glanced at the paper.  "This is simple.  It will take me an hour or so at most.  You want this replicated?"

Steve nodded. It had taken him a while to come up with something that had Bucky's signature on it.  Pepper helped once again, putting him in contact with a government records clerk who gave him a copy of Bucky's enlistment papers.  "Yes.  As closely as you can match it."

Crypt gave him a wide grin.  "Fuck. I'm an artist.  I can make anything look like anything."  The man worked for a few minutes at his desk, making a test run at the lines and sizing.  He held up the paper where Steve indicated, just under his pec across a rib. (Bucky used to rest his fingertips there, making sure Steve was still breathing.)

"Lean back and get comfortable.  Don't mind you asking me to stop if it gets to be too much."  Crypt pulled his tray around and got to work.

The needle was annoying, but tolerable.  What Steve didn't expect were the tears that started to slide down his face as Bucky's name was inscribed on his skin.

Softly, the man offered, "You aren't the first.  Let it out. Figure he must have been pretty damned special for you to want to keep him with you."  

"Yeah, he is."

"I'm honored to help you do that."  

The exchange unexpectedly settled Steve, and the hour passed easily as he found a voice to talk art and ink. Crypt didn't seem to mind his questions, and seemed genuinely pleased when Steve admitted to an affinity for drawing.  

Crypt wiped off the last of the blood and frowned at the tattoo as he rubbed antibiotic cream across it.  He blinked. Read the name again.  Glanced at the dog tags resting on Steve’s chest.  Looked between them again.  "Steven G. Rogers.  James Buchanan Barnes." He studied Steve's face.  "You're for real." He handed Steve a mirror.

"That's what they tell me."  Steve brushed his fingers across the perfect replica of Bucky's elegant signature.  The red was already fading as he healed from the slight trauma of the needle. "This is good.  Thank you. What do I owe you?"  he asked, reaching for his wallet.

"Our friend already covered it.  Paid to clear my books for  as long as you needed and then a nice bonus to make it worth my time.  You ever need more ink, just give me a call."

Steve passed over a couple of folded hundred dollar bills anyway. "From me then." 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> *Steve’s drawings … a pin-up sketch of Darcy he drew on December 7, 1941. Also, a sketch of himself, Bucky, and Darcy, that he drew the day he woke up from the ice.
> 
> **Not sure what the cost of this size tattoo is in Brooklyn. Where I’m from, it would run about $100.


	2. Darcy Maria Stark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Not a new chapter, but I split chapter 1 since it crossed two major time frames ... eventually there will be a third chapter, but not for a while. 
> 
> In the meantime, I'm posting links to the chapters in the [Ice and Fire: Timeline](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4494558), hence the need for the split.

Two years later, Steve found himself in the same shop.  The last couple of weeks had been hell with Darcy in London.  He told himself she would come back.  She had to come back.  He loved her no less than he loved Bucky, and even if she wasn’t here, he needed to do something concrete to prove it.

"Nobody ever stops with just one," Crypt laughed as he came inside.  "What am I doing this time?"

Steve crossed his arms.  "I need a promise that this one stays between us.  It's not my secret to tell."  

Crypt nodded and held out a hand to shake on it.  "Trust me, I'd make a shit ton more money if everyone knew Captain America was my client.  Hasn't happened yet."

"Good."  Steve passed over his sketchbook.  He’d had this idea for a while and wished he’d taken the time for it before Bucky came home.  It had been hell trying to find something with Darcy's full name on it, and he'd finally resorted to flat out asking her to show him her real signature.  She'd signed it across one of his drawings of her.  

Crypt whistled.  “You did this?”  

“I did. That’s my girlfriend.”  

“Nice sketch. She’s a stunner.” The artist tilted his head back, studying the signature.  "Are you fucking kidding me?" he gaped.

With a startled laugh, Steve agreed. "Even weirder when you know I was good friends with her grandfather."

Crypt blew out his breath in a long exhale.  “Yeah, okay.  Where do you want this one?"

He looked down, flicking his fingers across the black lines. "I was thinking right below Bucky's.”  

"Fuck, no.  Gimme ten minutes.  Your girl’s gonna love what I can do."  Crypt rolled his chair over to his desk.  He duplicated the first tattoo, then he worked out Darcy's name in white pencil.   With a satisfied grin, he passed over the thin paper to Steve.  “Take a look.”

Crypt had wound Darcy's name in and around Bucky's so the two were entwined, with Darcy's being offset slightly to the right. "Do it in white, in case you’re ever caught without a shirt. Keeps her privacy.  You want to do this in black later, it will still look good. The way I laid it out, your girl and your guy have equal time on you.  Seems fair, right?"  

Steve hummed in satisfaction.  "You're good. Yeah, let's do this."  Then he looked up in surprise.  "You know.  About Bucky.”

Crypt winked.  "I'm good with people.  Figured it out when you came in under the name 'Grant Barnes' and I saw the dog tags. Lots of clients come in under fake identities here. You took his name. Usually means something, in my experience."

"It doesn't bother you?"

“Not at all.”

As the artist worked the ink into his skin, Steve reflected on the easy acceptance he’d found just now.  Times had certainly changed, though he wasn’t stupid enough to think Crypt’s sentiments were universal.  Still, it was a start.  

 

When he got home, bringing calzones from Brooklyn, he discovered Bucky had spent the afternoon sparring with Thor.

Bucky raked his hand through still damp hair from his shower.  “How did it go?”

Steve lifted his shirt, and Bucky ran his fingers across the new ink.  The light touch made him shiver, and he sucked in his breath at the instant desire.  (Not months. Years, since they’d--)  “You did good, punk.”  Bucky pressed a kiss square on his lips. “She’ll be back,” he promised.  “We’re gonna make this right.” He tugged Steve’s shirt back down and pulled him in for a hard hug. 

He stayed there, resting his forehead on Bucky’s shoulder.  Somehow, he had to make this right for the three of them.  This--this was a good start.

 

 

 

 


	3. Ink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N vronaqueen asked for Chapter 3 of Ink, even if it was just one cuddly paragraph of the moment Steve gets Darcy's name reinked.

Chapter 3: Ink

 

For [ **vronaqueen** ](http://archiveofourown.org/users/vronaqueen/pseuds/vronaqueen)

 

Crypt studied the CNN video of the woman he recognized as the Captain’s girlfriend. The tattoo artist already knew what she was announcing to the whole world today and hadn’t told a soul about the name he’d marked on Captain Rogers’ skin.

He’d been damned proud of the way he’d entwined the white ink of her name into the black ink of the name of Captain’s other lover--and wasn’t that a hell of a thing? Crypt snorted in amusement. Cap had confirmed his bisexuality with his pair of lovers on national television a few months back and had damned near broken American society in the process.

The shop clients talked about it for weeks. Being Brooklyn, Cap was hailed a hero by most of the locals, but there were those who’d had their shining idol tarnished by the revelations, and there was real grief as reality didn’t match up with expectation. Crypt felt some sort of obligation to soothe the sharp edges and help his clients understand the why’s and how’s of it all.  

Darcy Stark seemed fearless behind the podium, but Crypt wasn’t particularly surprised. Any kid of Stark’s would either be a permanent basket case or a paragon of stubborness to put up with him. Crypt would put money on the latter. He rocked back on his heels as he listened to the conference, his eyebrows flying up so hard his forehead hurt when she announced they--all three of them--had been married on Asgard. Hoo boy. Crypt scratched his ear, wincing in anticipation of all that noise for the next month. Every client was sure to have an opinion all over again.

He was right, but for every vocal asshole, there were five who quietly murmured approval and went about their business.

About the time the furor died down at summer’s end, “Grant Barnes” made an appointment. This time, the Captain did it like normal folk, during regular working hours and not minding the wide-eyed stares of the other patrons when he made his way to the back of the shop where Crypt worked.

“Captain,” Crypt greeted with a nod.

“Call me ‘Steve,’ Crypt. Good to see you.”

“Congratulations on your wedding.”

Steve quirked his lips in a happy grin. “Thanks.” He rubbed a thumb over his wedding ring, perhaps unconsciously, but Crypt didn’t think so.

“Ready to do your lady’s name in black ink?”

Steve lifted a shoulder. “I kind of like it the way it is, but it’s the right thing to do, I think. Equal time, right?”

Crypt huffed a laugh. “Sure thing.  Lemme see what I can do.”

The captain stripped off his t-shirt, folding it up to tuck under his head as he stretched out on the table. His dog tags slid to one side, but the man didn’t seem to mind. “Can you do something in blue? Electric blue?”

“It’ll fade,” Crypt chided. “The whole piece was meant to be black in the end. But I can do some shading, sure. You’ll have to touch it up now and again.”

“I can do that.” Steve closed his eyes, shifting a bit to get comfortable. “Let me know when you’re done.”

Just like that, the captain fell asleep, not even twitching as Crypt set the needle to his skin.

 

A week later, Crypt opened a padded envelope. Inside was an 8”x10” photo of the Captain’s tattoo with the “Darcy Maria Stark” and “James Buchanan Barnes” entwined delicately together in black ink, with bright blue highlights edged in white separating the two names. The print was signed in black Sharpie.

_\--Thank you, Crypt, for your art and professionalism.  Steven G. Rogers--_

The photograph went up on the wall behind the reception desk.

 

* * *

 

 

Darcy might have shared a picture of Steve wading out of the refurbished pool at Stark Mansion with Bucky, Jane, and Clint. Clint sent it to Sam, who showed it to his mama the next time he dropped in for Sunday dinner. His niece, who was visiting with her cousins, neatly hacked Sam’s phone and ripped a copy that she sent to all her friends.

The photo went viral. It took all of seven days to break the notes on Tumblr.

“Fuckin’ sap,” was Bucky’s only quip when the photo popped up on all the entertainment news shows. But he ordered a poster-sized version of the photo and hung it on the back of the closet door just to annoy Steve.  

Darcy slicked on her brightest red lipstick and kissed the print next to the tattoo.

Steve grinned every time he got dressed in the morning.

 

 


End file.
